1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to electronic commerce and, in particular, to systems, program product, and methods of electronic commerce through communication networks that utilize online image handling to provide users with images of products during online activities.
2. Description of Related Art
Millions of consumers each year purchase merchandise online through electronic communication (e.g., via the World Wide Web (the “Web”)), making online shopping a multibillion dollar industry. Not only are consumers purchasing new items from online retailers, but consumers are also purchasing items, sometimes previously owned by others, through online marketplaces, e.g., auction sites. With online marketplaces, purchasers can often locate rare collector's items and find good deals on items that they want or need.
Purchasers are not the only ones that have benefited from online marketplaces. Sellers no longer have to resort to local newspaper ads or garage sales to sell their products, both of which take time and only allow sellers to market their products to local buyers. For a small amount of time and money, sellers can have worldwide access to potential purchasers for their items. Many people supplement their income by selling items, such as clothing and toys that their children have outgrown, through online marketplaces. For example, instead of giving the clothing and toys away, sellers can resell the items and recoup at least a portion of the original purchase price.
In some online marketplaces, when a seller decides that they want to sell a product online, the seller typically completes a product registration form and provides a digital image of the item. The registration form of an auction site, for example, typically includes information, such as contact information, product description, starting bid price, the duration of the auction, shipping details, and the like. The registration form and the digital image are uploaded to the online auction website's server, where a selling webpage is generated, or the item is added to an existing webpage, to thereby include and advertise the item that is being sold. On the selling webpage, a miniature copy of the digital image of the item is often displayed along with the item description to enable potential buyers to view the item online. If the digital picture was not a close-up picture of the item, it can be difficult to see the item in the miniature copy of the digital image.
In a typical online marketplace transaction, a potential buyer decides upon a good or service that they are interested in purchasing. The potential buyer then initiates access to an online marketplace e-commerce website via the Web, perhaps after conducting a search for the website with a commercial search engine. After the desired marketplace website is located, the potential buyer searches the marketplace website for the desired good or service, either by conducting a search of the website or by paging through the website content. The website content typically contains a title for the item and often a miniature image of the item. If the potential buyer wants to learn more about the item or see a closer view of the item, the potential buyer will click on the title and/or the miniature image to access a detailed description and larger image of the item. The larger image located on this web page is the same as the original digital image supplied by the selling user. An even larger image of the item can be accessed by clicking on the original sized digital image.
In the auction example, if the potential buyer wants to make a bid to attempt to successfully purchase the item, the potential buyer can make a bid for the item. If at the time of the end of auction, the potential buyer has the highest bid, then the potential buyer will be able to purchase the item from the selling user. Once the payment has been submitted to the selling user, the selling user usually is responsible for shipping the item to the buyer in accordance with the shipping instructions that were listed with the detailed description of the item.
Although most current marketplace websites have some usefulness, their shortcomings collectively represent impediments to the conduct of e-commerce, which are addressed and overcome by the present invention.